Washington leads series, 2-1

Alex Ovechkin scored the fourth goal of Washington's second-period outburst, leading the Capitals to a 5-1 win over Montreal on Monday night and a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference series. Recap | Stats

Boston leads series, 2-1

Mark Recchi outmuscled 23-year-old Tim Kennedy and passed to Patrice Bergeron , who got off a quick shot from the low right circle. It was too quick for Sabres star goalie Ryan Miller . That goal with 7:03 left in the game broke a tie and gave Boston a 2-1 win on Monday night and a 2-1 lead over Buffalo in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoffs. Recap | Stats

Los Angeles leads series, 2-1

Michal Handzus scored two power-play goals, Drew Doughty had a goal and three assists, and the Los Angeles Kings chased Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo during a 5-3 victory over the Canucks on Monday night, taking a 2-1 series lead in their first home postseason game in eight years. Recap | Stats

Wes Goldstein's Take

The Canucks will win if:Roberto Luongo finally proves he is the elite goalie that everyone says he is. The Olympic gold medal he won didn't really do it, and the reality is, for all his kudos, Luongo hasn't been out of the second round. Even worse, he has struggled since the break. But the Canucks have assembled what is arguably the most talented lineup in franchise history. Vancouver can score and in bunches, with scoring champion Henrik Sedin and his twin, Daniel Sedin , leading the way. Alex Burrows , Ryan Kesler and Mikael Samuelsson provide nice support. The defense is a bit of a question mark because of injuries to Willie Mitchell and possibly to Sami Salo . The Canucks have home ice advantage and no team won more games in their own building.

The Kings will win if: Like the Canucks, they get the kind of performance from their starting goalie they are supposed to. Jonathan Quick was brilliant for most of the season, but faded down the stretch and failed to get his 40th win in eight consecutive tries. Still, the Kings finished with only two fewer points than Vancouver in the overall standings. Their blueline, led by young Olympians Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson , is the better one in this series. That could be the biggest edge for the Kings, who have three lines that can wear down teams with their ability to cycle the puck and control games when they have a lead.